Issue Position: Troop Support

Issue Position

Issue Position: Troop Support

Our men and women in uniform deserve our strong, unqualified support. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have put unprecedented demands on our troops, many of whom are now participating in or preparing for their second, third, or even fourth deployments. These men and women are willing to answer their nation's call, but doing so can put significant strain on them, their families, and their finances. I have made it a point to fully support the troops over the course of their deployment, consistently voting for all funding requests for our nation's military needs. I will continue to work to ensure that they have the best body armor and equipment our nation can provide, as well as reasonable rest periods between deployments, and benefits for the loved ones they leave behind when they put their lives in danger for our country overseas.

National Guard and Reserves

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have put unprecedented demands on our nation's reservists and National Guard members. As with active-duty troops, many are now participating in or preparing for their second, third, or even fourth deployments. National Guard members and reservists find themselves facing critical equipment shortages at home because they have been forced to use and abandon their equipment overseas. There should be no disparity in equipment quality between the National Guard and reserve troops and our active-duty soldiers. They are all putting their lives on the line and deserve the best equipment we can send.

These men and women are willing to answer their nation's call, but doing so can put significant strain on them, their families, and their finances. I have introduced bills to ensure that activated reservists do not take a pay cut if they leave a federal civilian job for active duty, to lower the pension eligibility age to 55, and to guarantee that National Guard members and reservists have the equipment necessary to train, to fight abroad, and to respond to threats and disasters at home. In the meantime, we and the Department of Defense must take extra steps to reach out to the spouses and children of these service members. We must support them as they struggle to keep their families functioning while they wait for their loved ones to return.

Training and Equipment

The Bush Administration's strategy in Iraq has led to increased deployments abroad and compressed training cycles at home. It is inexcusable that our soldiers in Iraq were not equipped with sufficient body armor or properly armored vehicles from day one. I am determined that this should never happen again, and I will continue to insist that the Administration provides our troops with the resources they need.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking a terrible toll on our military's equipment. Estimates say that it will take years and tens of billions of dollars after the wars conclude to reset equipment and restore the military to its previous strength. The Reserves and National Guard are already facing critical equipment shortages at home. Waiting until after the war is over to start rebuilding is unwise and unsafe. I helped to assure the passage of an emergency supplemental funding measure, including provisions for new up-armored Humvees and other crucial equipment. As long we're sending our troops to serve in harm's way, I will work to ensure that they receive the very best training and equipment available.

Family Support

Our soldiers bear a tremendous burden in this war, and their families bear an equal burden. When we salute our soldiers in uniform and the veterans who have come home from overseas, we should also salute those who were left behind to wait. These families deserve as much support as the soldiers themselves.

To assist those families whose service members do not return, I introduced legislation in the last Congress to dramatically increase the death gratuity. The legislation would also provide for health care and college tuition for surviving children. The surviving spouses and children of our fallen heroes have already paid a tremendous price; the least our nation can do is to ensure that they can plan for their future with as much financial security as possible.

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